The Red Fog Descends
A black mage with bulging red veins across his forehead charged straight at Lee Hyun, his face twisted in frenzy. Lee Hyun stepped forward and met the attack head-on. The impact sent the mana clinging to their blades scattering through the air like sparks.
"Filthy mages! You pigs who discriminate against and oppress ordinary people! Today, I'll take your—!"
The man spat as he ranted, but Lee Hyun didn't bother listening to a single word. He merely wondered if the man had memorized some script somewhere. The lines were identical to the ones the black mages in the northeast had spewed, down to the last syllable.
Lee Hyun deflected the attacks while gauging his opponent's strength. For all his shouting, the man wasn't particularly skilled. A single exchange was enough to tell. He was probably nothing more than the dregs who had barely avoided becoming a mutant.
Lee Hyun poured strength into his arm and knocked the blade aside. Then he infused his own weapon with particles, drove it into the man's abdomen, and slashed upward in one clean motion.
"Guh—!"
The upper half of the black mage's body split open with a sickening tear, head and all, before collapsing onto the barrier wall with a wet thud.
Lee Hyun turned to check on Yeon Minha. She had deployed a protective barrier and was scanning the surroundings; at the sight of the mangled corpse, her body gave a small tremor.
"Eut…"
"Senior. Are you all right?"
She quickly composed her expression and gave a small nod.
"…Yes."
"We should move. Stay right behind me."
Yeon Minha nodded. The two of them crouched low and began retracing their path along the stairs of the barrier wall.
—Krrraaagh…!
—Kwaaang! Bang!
—Thud! Thud…!
Screams and explosions echoed loudly from the city center. The blood-red haze obscuring their vision only amplified the unknown terror.
"Th-that… red commie… what is that?"
Yeon Minha shook her head as if trying to dispel her fear with a different topic, her voice small.
"It's just what we call black mages. Their magic is red, after all."
It was a phrase Sa Jaehyuk used so often that it had stuck even in Lee Hyun's own mouth.
—Thud!
—Crackle…
A stronger vibration drew closer. Dust from the cracks in the barrier wall crumbled down over their heads.
"Hey… what that black mage said earlier… about oppression…"
"There's no need to pay attention to such nonsense. I've seen plenty of their kind. They're the sort who'll blame someone else even when they trip over their own feet."
"Still…"
"It's nothing but filthy self-justification. Look at what they're actually doing while they spout that drivel."
Lee Hyun answered without hesitation. These were the people he despised and hated most.
—Thud!
—Rat-tat-tat…!
"Support… we need support…! Gah!"
"Save me… kyaaah…!"
The city that had been filled with lively energy and the smell of fresh bread only that morning had turned into the very depths of hell in an instant. As they descended the final steps, figures with glowing red eyes in the dark lunged at them. Lee Hyun severed one man's head in a single stroke while Yeon Minha engulfed the other in roaring flames.
They continued along the wall toward the district where their lodging was located.
—Crackle…
—Grr…
—Thud!
What they heard wasn't only explosions and screams. There were low growls, the sound of massive fangs gnashing, and the rustle of wings—sounds no human could ever make—seeping out from every direction through the fog.
"Aagh… help… help…!"
Someone cried out for aid, only to vanish as if the ground itself had swallowed them. In their place, an open manhole or sewer entrance yawned like a hungry mouth. The same scene repeated several times as they made their way back.
"…Eut."
Yeon Minha suddenly frowned, staring at a spot beside them. It was the bakery where she had bought the sediment-filled bread earlier. Now only rubble and a trickle of someone's blood remained.
—Grr…
A massive beast lunged from the shadows. Its glowing red eyes revealed it had been tamed by black mage mana. Lee Hyun dodged the heavy swipe of its forepaw and drove his blade straight into its heart. With a dull thud, the creature—its fur thick and fangs grotesquely overgrown—collapsed before them.
—Thud!
"Senior. Any readings?"
"…It's not spreading outward. Even the spirits' sight is completely blocked. I can't see anything."
"What about the crows?"
"I've been calling them since earlier… no answer."
Lee Hyun asked after felling the beast, but Yeon Minha only shook her head. At their feet lay another corpse, carelessly discarded. He recognized the face immediately—the elderly governor who had greeted Yeon Minha warmly the day before. He and several attendants lay in a pitiful state, their backs riddled with traces of black magic. They had clearly been ambushed from behind while trying to flee the governor's residence during the sudden crisis.
"This person…"
Yeon Minha bit her lip hard, her face drained of all color.
The governor's death meant the situation was spiraling into something far more unpredictable. Lee Hyun stepped among the bodies and searched quickly. Spotting a woman whose build was similar to Yeon Minha's, he stripped the anti-particle suit gloves from her and held them out.
"Put these on."
"How… from a c-corpse…"
"That doesn't matter right now. Even a corpse's anti-particle suit is better than a single dress."
"…Aren't you scared in a situation like this? We could die if we're not careful…"
"I've already come back from the brink of death once. There's no fear of dying left in me. What's far more terrifying is failing to do what must be done."
"…"
His calm words carried an unspoken weight—that there was something he had to accomplish even if it cost him his life. At the same time, they seemed steeped in the regret of having failed once before. Yeon Minha had been about to ask what that task was, but stopped herself. Still, the quiet trust in his voice helped her regain some measure of composure.
She fumbled the anti-particle suit on over her dress and steadied herself before they pressed onward. Cutting down the beasts and black mage remnants that attacked them, they finally reached the section where their lodging stood. Signs of battle were everywhere—fallen guards and unidentifiable corpses littered the area. The students who had barricaded the dormitory entrance nearly unleashed magic at the sight of them, but relaxed with visible relief once they recognized Yeon Minha.
"…The others?"
"…This is all of us."
When Yeon Minha looked around and spoke, a second-year girl trailed off with a shaky answer. Roughly a third of the students who had taken on the request were missing. Even those present were mostly injured—arms and legs in splints, blood streaming from head wounds. Yeon Minha's expression darkened further. The other students who had heard about the governor's death turned deathly pale as well.
Just then, Cheon, the chief from Hoseo Hanong who had been guiding them, approached. Seeing Yeon Minha, he let out a sigh of relief. His clothes were torn from fierce fighting, and dried blood clung to his glasses frames.
"Young lady…! Thank goodness. I was certain something terrible had happened to you. Are you hurt anywhere…?"
"…I'm fine. What's the current situation?"
"…I'm sorry. We're still trying to assess it. We don't even know what this is…"
The man answered with a flustered expression.
"More importantly, we can't stay here. The terrain around here isn't ideal for defense. I've secured a safe house. We should move there immediately…"
Following his guidance, the students began dismantling the barricade and preparing to move. But Lee Hyun's instincts kept screaming danger. His mind was filled with suspicion. This had been a meticulously prepared ambush, designed to lure them into complacency over years. The governor, ambushed from behind. The weather tower spewing blood-red fog instead of rain. The open manholes and sewer traces showing monsters had passed through. All signs pointed to an internal collaborator.
According to Yeon Minha, the entity managing the agricultural waterways and sewers was the private soldiers of the very company that had commissioned this mission. The original handler for the request had been someone else, but due to a sudden accident, the position had fallen to this man. Yeon Minha had been too distracted to notice, but every danger that had occurred so far was connected to this mild-mannered, glasses-wearing man.
"…"
Lee Hyun glanced at Chief Cheon. He hesitated for only a moment before making his decision. In such an urgent situation, confirmation was necessary. He approached the man, who was issuing instructions to the students, and spoke.
"Now then, students, quickly… Yu Jinhyun? What is it…"
"Could you wash my blade with 'Lively Water Droplet' just once? The others seem too exhausted to manage it."
"Pardon?"
"Please. The edge has dulled quite a bit from the grime."
"Haha, just a moment. But first…"
If the man had claimed particle exhaustion was a risk, Lee Hyun might have doubted him less. But the evasive, overly smooth response only deepened his suspicion. The particle array device strapped to the man's right wrist confirmed he was a mage. And "Lively Water Droplet" was a simple, low-particle spell that even untalented mages could use with ease. There was no reason to refuse a request from one of the few able-bodied fighters in this situation—unless the man couldn't use basic spells at all.
Lee Hyun tipped the scales in an instant. Risking the unknown danger was preferable to the alternative of apologizing later. He drew his blade and swung it at Chief Cheon's right shoulder—the arm fitted with the particle array device. The strike wouldn't be fatal, but severing the blood vessels there would immediately prevent any magic use.
—Kwaaaang!
"Kyaaah!"
"Wh-what are you—!"
Chaos erupted around them. Dust flew, and the shockwave sent nearby objects crashing. Lee Hyun gritted his teeth. That sound hadn't come from a blade striking flesh.
"…Hah."
A cold, mocking sigh drifted through the settling dust. When it cleared, Lee Hyun saw the tip of his blade embedded in a crackling red barrier. The mild-mannered, glasses-wearing man was gone. In his place stood a black mage with burning, icy eyes, staring at them like prey.
"Hah. Sharp little brat. How did you know?"